Cold Weather

The recent weather swings have had most horsemen running ragged trying to keep their horses comfortable and healthy throughout the changes.Sooner or later, the weather will start acting like winter, and horsemen's thoughts will turn to low temperatures and wind-chill factors.Extension agent Bob Shirley of the Carroll County Extension Service office has some cold-weather horse management tips for Maryland horsemen.Shirley said that the hardest thing to convince horse people of is that feeding hay generates more body heat than feeding grains.

Matt Kumpar paid $622 for the electricity his auto shop used in January, so he thought the February charge - a whopping $3,192 - was a mistake. It wasn't. The rate for his electric supply skyrocketed, a shift his provider blamed on abnormally low temperatures brought on by the polar vortex. "I was absolutely blown out of my socks," said Kumpar, owner of the Baltimore Collision Center in Remington. The frigid winter caused all sorts of energy market disruptions. Demand spiked.

Take record snow in December, add a long stretch of below-average temperatures and a weekend of howling north winds and you've got what's beginning to look like a real winter for Maryland this year. High temperatures are expected to lag a full seven degrees or more below normal throughout the week, pushing energy bills higher and making it at least uncomfortable - and possibly dangerous - to spend much time outside. Baltimore's emergency shelters are packed with homeless looking for a respite from the weather.

Winter is synonymous with snow, Christmas and … lacrosse? This year, perhaps more than any other, the coldest season and a sport which crowns a national champion on usually the hottest day in May have been linked arm-in-arm. Since Feb. 1, when Delaware hosted High Point and Lehigh traveled to Furman, the first two weeks of the regular season have been highlighted - or lowlighted depending on your point of view - by frigid temperatures, blustery winds and other adverse conditions.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Joseph Karnes spent the past year living in a remote part of Alaska, working as a clerk for a judge and, when the weather permitted, training for the U.S. Olympic men's marathon trials."

Fall and winter have been on Bonita Glaser's mind, and now they're depicted in her exhibit "Familiar Journeys" at the Artists' Gallery in Columbia. Although her subject matter extends beyond those two seasons, viewing the show in mid-October does make you sensitive to every dropped leaf and fallen snowflake. The watercolor medium facilitates the atmospheric effects and overall moods she's going after in her seasonal views. Colors melt and softly glow in these works. In "Autumn Gold," Glaser provides a close-up view of tightly spaced trees in a forest.

Reducing access to life-saving Code Blue shelter services gives us the chills ("City revises emergency cold weather criteria," Dec. 8). Each year, too many of our homeless neighbors experience frostbite, amputations and even death because they lack adequate shelter. The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that 700 homeless people in the U.S. die every year from hypothermia. These are entirely preventable deaths. In Baltimore, we commemorate some of these deaths on Homeless Persons Memorial Day, Dec. 21, the longest night of the year.

With four deaths from hypothermia already reported by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Office of Preparedness and Response (OPR) this winter, the Harford County Health Department is reminding residents to take necessary precautions as temperatures drop throughout the coming months. Harford County Health Officer Susan Kelly said extra precautions taken for exposure to colder temperatures can mean the difference between enjoyment of winter activities and serious injury or even death.

From Jay Hancock's Blog: A cold weather forecast has pulled natural gas prices up from an eight-year low, Bloomberg reports. That will probably be reflected in BGE's residential natural gas price for January. But while prices may have notched up, they're rising from really low levels. The recession and a worldwide natural-gas glut have depressed gas prices and profits. The default natural gas price for BGE customers this month (the floating price you get if you don't lock in with another supplier)

It's getting colder outside, but many people still want to get in a daily run, ride or walk. Outdoors exercise can be done safely in lower temperatures, says Dr. David Buchalter an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at OrthoMaryland. But some precautions are necessary. It's important to stretch, drink fluids and cover your head in the cold. And if your New Year's resolution is to begin exercising this winter, you need to ask yourself some questions first. Question: What's different about cold-weather exercising, and how do you prepare?

Cold temperatures were a factor in four more deaths in recent weeks, including that of a man in Baltimore, according to state health officials. That brings the death toll this winter to 11 across the state. Recent cold-related deaths included two men in Prince George's County, one aged 45-64 and another aged 65 or older, and an elderly man in Talbot County in addition to the Baltimore man. Health officials don't know how hold the city man was. The deaths were revealed in a weekly report on cold-related illnesses that state health officials released late Wednesday.

When Rob Rogers woke up the morning of Dec. 8 and looked at an ominous weather forecast predicting several inches of snow or the threat of freezing rain, he knew exactly where he wanted to be. The 24-year-old Hampden resident rushed to his computer, navigated to Stubhub.com and saw that ticket prices for that afternoon's game between the Ravens and Minnesota Vikings were dropping. He snapped up tickets for himself and three friends and threw on long underwear, warm clothes, a winter jacket and, of course, his No. 82 Torrey Smith jersey and was off to M&T Bank Stadium.

With the polar votex on its way, pets need extra consideration. Just as dogs and cats and bunnies can't be left out in the heat of the summer, cold and snowy days pose their own risks to beloved pets. The experts at the MD SPCA offer the following tips for pets and cold: - Pets shouldn't be left outside for extended periods of time when it's cold. If it's too cold for you, it's too cold for your pet. - Watch for cats! Outdoor cats sometimes seek shelter near warm car engines and sleep under the hoods of vehicles.

The Baltimore region could see the first snow of 2014 - possibly a couple of inches - beginning around the afternoon rush hour Thursday, according to a National Weather Service forecast. It could start as a rain-snow mix midafternoon Thursday but should change to snow in the evening, most likely 1 to 3 inches across the area. But Greg Schoor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va., said that it's unlikely to significantly hamper the evening commute because the snow probably will melt when it hits the ground, which will remain a few degrees warmer than the air. "Flakes will start to fly Thursday afternoon, but we may not see any accumulation until after 8 p.m.," he said.

Hypothermia was a factor in the death of a man in Prince George's County recently, prompting state health officials to warn the public about the dangers of cold weather Wednesday. The man, aged 45-64, died some time between Nov. 26 and Dec. 2, according to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. No other details on the death are being released for privacy reasons, officials said. Health officials caution those spending extended periods outdoors to be wary of hypothermia and frostbite, as well as poisoning from carbon monoxide produced by stoves, generators and fires.

The 11th season of the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center's cold-weather shelter program got underway last week and will continue through March 30 at alternating Howard County faith communities. The shelter program is designed for people who cannot find emergency shelter when Grassroots is full. Grassroots is located at 6700 Freetown Road in Columbia. For information, call 410-531-6006, or go to http://www.grassrootscrisis.org. The 24-hour crisis hot line is 410-531-6677.

With the polar votex on its way, pets need extra consideration. Just as dogs and cats and bunnies can't be left out in the heat of the summer, cold and snowy days pose their own risks to beloved pets. The experts at the MD SPCA offer the following tips for pets and cold: - Pets shouldn't be left outside for extended periods of time when it's cold. If it's too cold for you, it's too cold for your pet. - Watch for cats! Outdoor cats sometimes seek shelter near warm car engines and sleep under the hoods of vehicles.

There were more cold days in this winter than last, so Central Maryland residents should expect to receive higher energy bills, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. said Friday. "Although BGE's commodity prices have remained stable … extreme weather generally triggers significant increases in energy usage, which in turn can lead to higher-than-expected bills," said Jeannette M. Mills, vice president and chief customer officer for BGE. "Even when the thermostat is kept at the same temperature, heating units must work harder to maintain the set temperature," Mills said.

At least two cold-weather-related deaths were confirmed in the Baltimore area during last week's snap of frigid weather, and more dangerous cold is in the forecast. Hypothermia was a factor in the deaths of an elderly Baltimore County woman and an elderly Baltimore man during the week that ended Monday, according to a weekly report from state health officials. The total number of cold-weather-related deaths that state medical examiners have confirmed so far this winter has reached 14. Hypothermia occurs when body temperature drops below 95 degrees, causing vital organs to shut down.